Sarawak’s aim to become a developed region by 2030 is moving forward smoothly through the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
 
It is not hard to imagine a fully developed economy because one thing for certain is that the people will be more affluent with high income, coupled with healthy and sustainable environment with high standard-healthcare system. 
 
And of course, it will also include wellness in lifestyle and higher quality living in every aspect of life that include arts and cultural centres and shopping complexes and amusement centres of international standard. In short, we must be like any other developed countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the United States of America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
 
So, in the next six years, Sarawak must put forth inclusive policies that will ensure it could reach its set-target. As such, through PCDS 2030, Sarawak has put forth policies which will ensure its advancement in all fields, including in education.
 
We have seen how our Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg has continuously looking for new opportunities and breaking new frontiers to put Sarawak ahead of its competitors.
 
As he focuses on futuristic energy sources, especially in green and renewable energy such a hydrogen, he also looks at the very basic and fundamental needs of how Sarawak could achieve its vision. 
 
And rightly so, as he has announced sometimes ago that by 2026, the Sarawak government will provide free tuition for students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at Sarawak-owned public universities such Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), I-CATS University College and Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs).
 
And just a few days ago, the policy is further fined-tuned with the announcement made by Deputy Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Dr Annuar Rapa’ee that students’ enrolment into these universities will no longer go through a quota-based system, that admission will be based solely on meritocracy. He stressed that through meritocracy, students will have to work harder and compete to secure their place.
 
This statement made by Datuk Dr Annuar underlined strongly the fact that in order for Sarawak to transformed into a developed region, meritocracy is the “only way to train talents and pick the best of the best among our students”.
 
The announcement made by Datuk Dr Annuar have received positive feedback from prominent Sarawakians who advocated that meritocracy indeed is the way forward in order to achieve advanced economy by 2030.
  For the president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sarawak Dato Richard Wee, he strongly believed that through meritocracy, the future of Sarawak’s human capital will be guaranteed with highly qualified individuals in its workforce. This will definitely become a plus factor to attract more investment to Sarawak. And with better job opportunities, provided through foreign investments into Sarawak, it can retain its best brains in all fields.
 
“We strongly advocate meritocracy for admission into our public universities. But that doesn’t mean that we are not helping students from rural areas to excel. They too can make it through hard work and consistency,” said Wee.
 
Wee, who is also the Deputy President of the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Management Board, pointed out that meritocracy does not deny the under-privileged and he believes that education is in fact, the equaliser between the rich and the poor. Thus, it will only allow the people regardless of their races to work harder and to compete on equal footing.
 
“Yayasan Sarawak has established five international schools based on Cambridge syllabus. These schools will allow equal footing for all students regardless of their backgrounds,” said Wee who is also a Yayasan Sarawak Board of Trustee.
  On the same breath, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia and former Sarawak commissioner of Suhakam, Dato Dr Madeline Berma stressed the needs to address the education gap between the rural and urban setting.
 
“Let’s say, admission to these five universities requires 8 straight A’s, it will be fair to admit such high achievers in the urban setting. However, in the rural setting, the best student might only achieve 4A’s. So, in all fairness, that rural student should also be considered for admission because he or she is the best from the rural setting,” Dr Madeline said.
 
She further pointed out that in order to achieve Sarawak’s vision of a developed region by 2030, it is imperative for a holistic development in all sectors to be improved as well. 
 
By doing so, Sarawak will not only be able to retain its talents, but also be able to attract its foreign-based workers to come back to serve here and help further develop the region.
 
Similarly, Associate Professor Datuk Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi who is currently the research fellow at University of Malaya Centre for Democracy and Electoral Study (UMCEDEL) highlighted the fact that through PCDS 2030, Sarawak’s aim to achieve a high-income economy is now on track.
 
“Our premier is a visionary leader; he knows what is best for Sarawak. It is only through meritocracy that Sarawak will be able to compete not only at the national level but also at the regional and global arena,” he pointed out.
 
Like Dr Madeline, Dr Azman also highlighted the fact that students from poor background, either from rural or urban areas, but having the right attitude and willing to learn should also be taken into consideration and be given the chance. This way, he said, no one will be left out in the pursuit of knowledge.
 
Rightly so, the opinions of these three individuals, put into the right perspective on why meritocracy is the right way forward for Sarawak to achieve its vision 2030.